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Avg- 20, 1957 Filed June 8, 1954 @RUSS REFRQ H. L. HENKEL SECURITY FILE5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR HARVEY LMENIQL BY Swwwm ATTORNEYS H. L. HENKEL2,803,203

SECURITY FILE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 20, 1957 lFiled June 8, 1954ATTORNEYS ,Aug. 2o, 1957 Filed June 8, 1954 H. l.. HENKEL SECURITY FILE3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR HARVEY L. HENKEL ATTORNEYS United StatesPatent O SECURITY FILE Harvey L. Henkel, Hamilton, Ohio, assignor toHerring- Hall-Marvin Safe Company, Hamilton, Ohio, a corporation of OhioApplication June 8, 1954, Serial No. 435,306

3 Claims. (Cl. 109--59) This invention relates to burglar proof and fireproof filing cabinets of the type comprising a plurality of drawersections generally arranged in super-imposed relation and wherein thedrawers are provided with individual locking mechanisms, collectivelyunder the control of one master lock. More specifically, the inventionconsists in new and useful improvements in the reinforcement of certaincritical areas of the cabinet shell and drawer fronts, with laminatedsteel plates so arranged with respect to the various components of thelocking mechanisms as to afford maximum protection against surreptitiousentry in the event an attack be made upon the locking mechanism of thefile.

File cabinets of this type are generally provided with ygang lockmechanisms, located just inside the front faces of the drawers, eachmechanism being equipped with an individual control knob or handle,whereby locking bolts are projected or retracted with respect tocomplementary locking recesses located in the front portion of thecabinet shell adjacent the drawer fronts, the mechanisms being under thecommon control of a combination lock, usually located in the front ofthe top drawer of the series. Thus, the areas most likely to be attackedin an effort to gain unauthorized entry into the cabinet, are those inthe immediate vicinity of either the lock controls or the lock bolts,which as before stated are usually located in a vertical plane lyingjust within the front faces of the file drawers.

It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide alaminated steel reinforcing structure, so located with respect to thesevital areas, as to shield them against tampering with tools, drills andother implements of that nature.

Another object of the invention is to provide a composite reinforcingplate for installation in the front face of each drawer and formed in aplurality of sections,

tack welded or spot welded at pre-determined points to form an integralplate which, although rigid in structure, possesses sufficientflexibility or resilience to resist punching or driving into the drawerfront with metal punches, drills, etc.

Still another object of the invention is to provide laminatedreinforcing and protecting plates for the vital areas of the cabinet anddrawers, wherein alternate layers or plies are formed of metal capableof being tempered to a tool resisting hardness to afford maximumprotection against the action of tools.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists in the novel featuresherein set forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings in which numerals of like chara-cter designatesimilar parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a sectional cabinet embodying theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a side view, partially in vertical section, showing thelocations of the reinforcing strips and plates;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional View, taken substantially online 3 3 of Fig. 2, showing two of the drawer sections and their lockingmechanisms and illustrating the relationship of the drawer frontreinforcement; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional View, taken transverselythrough the drawer and cabinet front, illustrating the laminatedreinforcing plate and its relationship to the lock mechanism. In thisfigure the insulation is omitted for clarity.

In the drawings, 10 generally represents a sectional file cabinet whichmay be of conventional structure including a cabinet shell 11 ofsuitable metal and a series of superimposed drawers 12, 13 and 14.Obviously, any number of drawer sections may be employed as the occasiondemands. The walls of the cabinet are provided with the usual insulationand fire proofing material 15, filling the space between the outer shell11 and an inner shell 16 and completely surrounding the top, rear, sideand bottom walls of the cabinet, and if desired, a reinforcing wire mesh17 may be inserted within the insulating sheet or body 15.

The drawers are separated by horizontal spaced partitions 18, betweenwhich is located similar insulating material 19, so that each drawer issurrounded at top, bottom and rear by a thick insulating enclosureformed in the cabinet.

As best seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the front of each drawer is formed withan outer skin 20 and a rearwardly spaced inner skin 21, joined at top,bottom and sides by a continuous web 22. This web 22 is of an irregularcrosssectional profile which coincides with a complementary profile 23which bounds the respective drawer receiving compartment of the cabinet,adjacent the drawer receiving opening in the front thereof. This is moreor less conventional structure in file cabinets of this type, to insurean interlocking of the drawer front and cabinet opening when the draweris closed so as to effect a sealing engagement.

The lock mechanisms of the drawers are housed in the spaces between theouter skin 20 and inner skins 21, as seen in Fig. 4 and although thesemechanisms may vary in specific structure, one practical form isillustrated in the drawings, as an example.

Here it will be seen that the front wall of each drawer is provided witha lock supporting frame consisting of vertical side pieces 24, lyingadjacent the side edges of the drawer within the spaces between frontskin 20 and rear skins 21 and connected by forwardly offset horizontalstrips 25. In the uppermost drawer 12 the strip 25 supports acombination lock mechanism 26 of any conventional form, the strip 25being drilled to receive a forwardly projecting operating shaft 27 whichextends through a suitable opening in the front skin of the drawer andcarries on its projecting end a combination dial 28. A suitable sleeve29, enclosing the shaft 27, may be welded in place between thecross-strip 25 and the front skin 20 of the drawer.

Immediately above the combination lock 26 in the front of drawer 12, isan operating cam 30, rotatably mounted on a forwardly projecting shaft31, supported by the cross-strip 25 and the front skin 20 of the drawer.A similar protecting sleeve 32 surrounds the shaft 31. An operatinghandle 33 is fixed to the projecting outer end of the shaft 31 to effectrotation of the cam 30. A latch member 34 under control of thecombination lock 26, projects upwardly into retractible engagement witha flattened surface 35 in the periphery of the cam 30, so that until thelatch 34 is retracted, the cam cannot be rotated by the handle 33. Asbest seen in Fig. 3, the cam is pivotally connected at opposed eccentricpoints 36 and 37, to laterally projecting lock bars 38 and 39respectively. The outer ends of these lock bars form lock bolts 40 whichare slidably supported as at 41 in suitable openings in opposite sidewebs 22 of the drawer, so as to be projectible and retractible withrespect to complementary recesses 42 in the adjacent side faces of thedrawer receiving recesses of the cabinet, Thus, upon rotation of the cam30 the lock bolts 41 are either engaged or disengaged with theirrespective locking recesses 42.

Similar locking mechanisms are installed in each of the drawers of theseries and all are under the collective control of the mastercombination lock 26. To effect this collective control, the top drawer12 is provided with a main actuating rod 43 which is pivotally connectedat its upper end at 44, to the top cam 30 and is supported for verticalsliding movement by a bracket 45 in the lower portion of the drawer. Thelower end of the rod 43 is arranged in abutting relation with the upperend of a spring pressed intermediate plunger 47, located in a supportingtube 48 extending between the horizontal walls 18 which form the bottomof the drawer receiving recess in the cabinet. A spring 49 normallyurges the plunger 47 upwardly to its limit, but upon rotation of the cam30 the rod 43 is urged downwardly to depress the plunger 47 against thetension of its spring, so that the plunger acts as a connecting linkbetween the main actuating rod 43 and a second control rod 50 in thedrawer 13, next below. The rod 50 is slidably supported in verticallyspaced brackets 51 and 52 in drawer 13, and is provided with an olfsetprojection or abutment 53, adapted to be brought into and out ofabutting relation with a lug S4 projecting laterally from the lock bar38a of the lock mechanism of drawer 13. Thus, when the rod 50 andabutment 53 are in the position shown in Fig. 3, counterclockwiserotation of the lock cam 30a is prevented by engagement of theprojection 54 with the abutment S3, so that retraction of the lock bolts41a is prevented. The rod 50 is normally urged upwardly by a coil spring55, against which it is depressed upon the downward movement of theupper rod 43. A similar arrangement is installed in all of thesucceeding drawers.

It will be apparent that when the rods 43 and 50 are in their uppermostpositions, the lock bolts of all drawers are in locked engagement. Thelock control handle 33 of the top drawer cannot be operated until thecombination lock 26 is released and the handle or handles 33a of thelower drawers cannot be operated until the rods 50 are moved upwardly bythe release of the main actuating rod 43 to clear the abutment 53 fromthe path of the lug 54 on the lock bar 38a.

As previously stated, the primary object of the present invention is toshield the critical locking areas of the cabinet against unauthorizedtampering. It is highly important that the area immediately surroundingthe lateral edges of the drawers fronts, be encased so as to prevent theentrance of any tool in the vicinity of the front portions of thedrawers. This is accomplished in the present invention by providing anencircling band 56 which in actual practice is approximately 1A: inchthick and laminated in tive plies of suitable tool resistant metalsheets. This band extends entirely around the top, sides and bottom ofthe cabinet 11, and projects rearwardly from the very front edge of thecabinet to a point sufficiently beyond the critical locking area tocompletely shield the latter.

Preferably, this laminated protecting band consists of hardened steelplates, at least two alternate inner layers of which have been temperedto a tool resisting hardness. The material is generally known to thetrades as tool resisting jail and bank steel and can be tempered to adegree of hardness which will resist tool cutting to a very practicaldegree.

The front area of each drawer is similarly protected by a laminatedshield generally indicated by the numeral 57, which is located justinside the front skin 20 of each drawer and extends both vertically andtransversely across the entire front. This shield 57 is also formed inlive plies of metal with the two alternate inner layers being temperedto a tool resisting hardness and is preferably built up of a series ofsections 57a to 571c inclusive as shown in Fig. 3. These sections arecut to tit into the drawer front in edgewise engagement and are spotwelded or tack welded as at 58, at selected points so as to form acomposite plate which completely overlies the locking area. The plate 57may be secured in place by providing a downturned ange S9 at the frontedge of the web 22 of the drawer front as shown in Fig. 4, to which theplate is welded.

The primary purpose in forming the plate 57 in sections and spot weldingor tack welding the sections together, is to provide a certain degree offlexibility or resilience to the plate, to increase its resistance topunching or driving into the tile at these areas. This is accomplishedwithout sacrificing any of the strength of the plate, and it will beobvious that it is far more difficult for a punch or drill to attack aplate having lateral resilience or ilexiblity, than a rigid one pieceplate.

Furthermore, the assembly of this plate in sections, provides a certaindegree of manufacturing convenience due to the necessity to accommodatethe various elements of the locking mechanism.

In order to prevent tool entrance into the horizontal spaces between thesuper-imposed drawers, transverse strips 60, also laminated in fiveplies, are provided at the forward extremity of the spaced partitions 18of each drawer receiving recess. As seen in Fig. 4, these plates 60 arelocated immediately in front of the area containing the spring pressedplungers 47.

It will thus be seen that a le cabinet constructed in accordance withthe present invention is practically inaccessible to unauthorizedtampering. The front faces of each of the drawers is shielded by theplates 57, which completely cover the locking mechanisms, and thelateral edges of the drawers are protected by the surrounding band 56.

From the foregoing it is believed that the invention may be readilyunderstood by those skilled in the art without further description, itbeing borne in mind that numerous changes may be made in the details ofconstruction without departing from the spirit of the invention as setforth in the following claims.

I claim:

l. In a security le, including a cabinet, at least one sliding drawer,the front of said drawer having forward and rear parallelly spaced wallsdefining a lock and bolt receiving compartment, and a lock mechanismwithin said lock and bolt receiving compartment of said drawer, aresilient protecting shield comprising a plate formed of a series ofcontiguous abutting sections of laminated tool resistant metal tackwelded together at spaced points along their abutting edges to form anintegral structure having lateral resilience and flexibility andextending entirely across the inner surface of the forward wall of saidlock and bolt receiving compartment of said drawer and overlying thelock mechanism.

2. In a security tile, including a cabinet, at least one drawer slidablymounted in an opening in the cabinet, the front of each drawer havingforward and rear parallelly spaced walls dening a lock and boltreceiving compartment, and a lock and bolt mechanism in saidcompartment, a resilient protecting shield assembly comprising a plateformed of a series of contiguous abutting sections of laminated toolresistant metal, spot welded together at spaced points along theirabutting edges to form a composite structure having lateral resilienceand flexibility extending entirely across the inner surface of theforward wall of said compartment, overlying the lock and bolt mechanismand a band of laminated tool resistant metal laterally surrounding thefront portion of said cabinet adjacent the drawer receiving openingtherein and extending rearwardly from the extreme front edge of saidcabinet for a distance to provide an encircling shield which intersectsthe plane of both walls of said compartment when the drawer is in closedposition.

3. In a security le, including a cabinet, a series of superimposeddrawer receiver openings in said cabinet, a drawer slidably mounted ineach of said openings, the front of each drawer having forward and rearparallelly spaced walls defining a lock and bolt receiving compartment,and a lock and bolt mechanism in the lock and bolt receiving compartmentof each said drawer, said drawer receiving openings being separated byhorizontal partitions, a protecting shield assembly comprising a plateof laminated tool resistant metal extending entirely across the innersurface of the forward wall of said lock and bolt receiving compartmentof each of said drawers, overlying the respective lock and boltmechanism, a band of laminated tool resistant metal laterallysurrounding the front portion of said cabinet adjacent the drawerreceiving openings therein, and extending rearwardly from the extremefront edge of said cabinet for a distance to provide an encirclingshield which intersects the planes of both walls of said compartmentswhen the drawers are in closed position, and laminated tool resistantmetal plates extending vertically across each horizontal partition.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS258,577 Gross May 30, 1882 365,300 Farrel June 21, 1887 2,270,551 PeiterJan. 20, 1942 2,399,184 Heckert Apr. 30, 1946 2,613,623 Behrens Oct. 14,1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 694 Great Britain Mar. 7, 1866

